Berlin Archives - THE DULL CHANNEL

November 20, 2020

Above Ground Subway

New Yorkers are probably not wondering about this but Berlin has subways that go above ground. They are still called “Untergrundbahn” (underground rail) even though they are clearly above ground as my picture proves. This line is the U2 (no relation to Bono) and it is in part above and below ground. Back in 1910 when the construction on this…

Photography

November 13, 2020

My life in cameras: Part 6 Olympus M10 and M.Zuiko 45mm/F1.8

At this point I was officially infected with GAS. I was just buying cameras because they were new but not because I needed them. Why I “needed” the new Olympus M10. There was really no reason to buy this new camera. Sure it had some more megapixels and was faster or whatever. The only real reason was that the viewfinder…

Photography

October 27, 2020

My life in cameras: Part 5 Olympus PEN E-P3 and having fun with built-in filters

As it is with people who have too much money and time (I had an old contract, my rent was ridiculously low) the PEN E-P1 was soon “not enough”. So here is part 5 the Olympus PEN E-P3. Why I needed the new Olympus PEN E-P3 As I said in my earlier posts I actually bought the predecessor as a…

Photography

October 18, 2020

My life in cameras: Part 4b Olympus PEN E-P1 and M.Zuiko 17mm F2.8 (Yes the lens is incredibly tiny)

I wrote in my first post about the Olympus Pen E-P1 that I wanted something smaller and lighter for everyday walks. The E-P1 I bought was in a kit with the collapsible zoom I talked about and a small 17mm pancake lens. Additionally they added a glass viewfinder. You can look at the size in this review here (no I…

Photography

October 11, 2020

Danger High Voltage (Panasonic GM1)

I took this picture right next to where I shot the lonely swivel chair. Now I remember that the buildings where in fact part of an old electrical substation (or transformer station). The signs here (in German) warn about “danger high voltage” and enumerate the rules of how to switch off the electricity before beginning any kind of work. I…

Photography/Urbanism

September 28, 2020

My life in cameras 3d: Canon EOS 20D and Canon EF 28-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM

It was 2009 and I was earning real money. Time for a new lens. I was still very much into buying new stuff and heard about a thing called “image stabilization” which sounded like a great idea for someone like me who does not like carrying tripods. So I bought the Canon EF 28-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM lens which was…

Photography

September 24, 2020

My life in cameras 3c: Canon EOS 20D and Canon EF 50mm F1.8

I was really happy with my Canon EOS 20D and reviewing my images I saw that I was drawn to what is called available light photography. In short it means using only the light sources that are already in the scene and this mostly under difficult or low light. Prime examples are candids, concerts indoors (like old churches) or evening…

Photography

September 22, 2020

Empty Playgrounds and Gentrification

Would you let your child play here? Would your child want to play here? I am sure both questions have to be answered with a no. This is a playground in East Berlin. There used to be some playground equipment from before Reunification but under the new West German regulations it was deemed unsafe. On the other hand the city…

Economics/Photography/Urbanism

September 16, 2020

My life in cameras 3b: Canon EOS 20D and Sigma AF 70-300/4-5,6 DL

Remember that I just bought a camera way over my budget and so could not afford any lenses beside the cheap kit lens that came with the camera? At that time I really thought I needed a telephoto lens so I went to the store (yes a physical store) and bought a cheap Sigma telephoto lens (this is a similar…

Photography

September 13, 2020

Random Picture #5 “Swivel Chair”

I have to say I really like this series of random pictures. I am using a randomizer to pick a photo from my collection and then I just let my thoughts and memories flow. These are the little places on can find in Berlin if you go off the beaten track. Although this is very close to some tourist destinations….

Photography/Urbanism

Tag: Berlin

Above Ground Subway

My life in cameras: Part 6 Olympus M10 and M.Zuiko 45mm/F1.8

My life in cameras: Part 5 Olympus PEN E-P3 and having fun with built-in filters

My life in cameras: Part 4b Olympus PEN E-P1 and M.Zuiko 17mm F2.8 (Yes the lens is incredibly tiny)

Danger High Voltage (Panasonic GM1)

My life in cameras 3d: Canon EOS 20D and Canon EF 28-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM

My life in cameras 3c: Canon EOS 20D and Canon EF 50mm F1.8

Empty Playgrounds and Gentrification

My life in cameras 3b: Canon EOS 20D and Sigma AF 70-300/4-5,6 DL

Random Picture #5 “Swivel Chair”